What are some facts about bats that can be incorporated into an elementary school lesson plan?

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Quick Answer

Facts about bats that can be incorporated into an elementary school lesson plan are that they're the only mammals that can really fly, they're mostly active at night, and they sleep hanging upside down. Some bats migrate to warmer climates during the winter like birds, while others hibernate.

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There are two types of bats that make up over 900 species. The Microchiropterans, or microbats are the bats that eat insects and other small animals like frogs, and use echolocation to find their prey. This means they emit sounds sometimes too high for humans to hear and listen when the sound bounces off an object. To do this with greater accuracy, a lot of these little bats have huge ears and fleshy growths on their faces. One exception to this is the vampire bat, which famously eats blood.

Megachiropterans, or megabats, are bigger bats that eat fruit and sometimes flowers. The flying fox is a megachiropteran. It gets its name because of its fox-shaped head. It is also the largest bat and has a wingspan that can stretch to 6 feet.

The bat's wings are actually its hands. The long finger bones are connected by a web of flesh. The tails of bats are either very short or nonexistent. Despite the legend, bats can see, but don't rely much on their vision.